Developed countries 鈥� Effective emission limit compared to 1990 (including credits and debits from forestry)
Developing countries 鈥� Emission reductions compared to business as usual
THE Copenhagen climate dance continues. This week, 55 nations representing 78 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions from energy use, .
The commitments were made to meet a deadline set at the climate talks held in Copenhagen in December. But they mostly reiterate national pledges made before the summit, and are steeped in conditions. The US, for instance, reaffirmed its commitment to cut emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels, contingent on legislation being passed at home. China repeated that it would 鈥渆ndeavour to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 per cent鈥� between 2005 and 2020.
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鈥淭he vast majority of nations has failed to seize this opportunity to make their pledges more ambitious,鈥� says Niklas H枚hne, a policy analyst at Ecofys in Cologne, Germany. 鈥淥ur analysis suggests that the world is still on track for a 3.5 掳C rise.鈥�
